PHX Reporter

In the aftermath of Sunday's game against the Packers, echoes of last year's challenges resurfaced for the Cardinals. Quarterback Kyler Murray and tight end Trey McBride showcased a strong connection, reminiscent of past performances. "He is who he is," said Murray about McBride, adding, "I have all the confidence in the world in him." McBride delivered his best statistical performance this season with eight catches for 96 yards.

Despite these highlights, the game was marked by penalties and injuries that contributed to a disappointing loss. The Cardinals faced issues similar to their game against the Commanders and fell short compared to their match against the 49ers. Jordan Love's two long touchdown passes exploited gaps in Arizona's defense despite warnings from coach Jonathan Gannon earlier in the week.

The absence of rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., who exited due to injury after hitting his head on a defender’s leg, left a gap in Arizona's offense. With Harrison sidelined, receivers Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, and Xavier Weaver were called upon to fill in.

In other highlights from Sunday's matchup, brothers Bo Melton (Packers) and Max Melton (Cardinals) had an opportunity to face each other on the field before exchanging jerseys post-game. Defensive lineman Bilal Nichols celebrated his 100th career game as an extra captain but was sidelined due to injury during play.

The Cardinals achieved only 16 first downs—their lowest this season—and continued struggles on third downs persisted over four games with just a 30% conversion rate. Despite eight takeaways this season including Sean Murphy-Bunting's interception on Sunday, they have yet to score a touchdown off these turnovers.

Changes were seen on their offensive line with Trystan Colon starting at right guard while rookie Isaiah Adams also played there before moving left following Evan Brown's ankle injury.

An early-game scoring streak ended as well when miscommunication between Murray and Harrison led them three-and-out after two James Conner runs netted one yard combined.

Coach Gannon concluded by emphasizing improvement needs: "We can't play in a hole like that. It's too hard to overcome... Ultimately we just didn't play clean enough."